News Report - The Land (Australian Community Media)
Roberto and Robert Piovesan with a New Holland TS110 in 1999.
A love of machinery is in the blood of Victoria's Piovesan family.
For more than 50 years they have been catering to the needs of growers in the market gardens precinct of Werribee South through their business, R.P. Motors.
The business celebrated its 50th anniversary last year and some of its first customers still come to visit the founders, Roberto and Vilma Piovesan.
Their son, Robert, is now the dealer principal and their grandson, Joshua, is the third generation working in the proudly family-owned business.
Joshua works alongside his mother, Daphne Piovesan, and aunt, Melissa Snape.
Werribee South is a vegetable growing region south west of Melbourne producing lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, fennel and cabbages.
The produce is grown intensively all year round so it is essential customers get the most out of their machinery and its technology.
"What's most interesting about Werribee South is that the farming community is generational," Joshua Piovesan said.
"Our key accounts and customers have been with us for decades. Market gardening is an extremely niche market."
Mr. Piovesan said R.P. Motors has stood behind customers through drought, commodity price volatility, and the other changes market gardening has seen over the decades.
"For our customers, running more efficiently is essential to their business' viability," he said.
"We support them when purchasing their machinery - tailoring their machinery requirements to suit their needs, through to the service and parts support after the sale.”
"These key pillars have contributed to R.P. Motors' success as a business over the five decades."
Mr. Piovesan recently completed his Victorian Certificate of Education and is now studying a Bachelor of Business via Swinburne Online, the online arm of Swinburne University of Technology.
The growing need for highly skilled parts and service technicians in recent years has led to R.P. Motors' strong partnerships with TAFE and New Holland for specialised training courses.
"R.P. Motors currently offers training programs to continually develop our technicians, apprentices, and customer service staff," Mr. Piovesan said.
"We also ensure our qualified technicians regularly attend service training, so they too are on top of the latest technology and further develop their skills."
The Piovesan family, pictured in 2006, has been serving customers in Werribee South for more than 50 years.
One of the customers that have been farming in the district since the 1950s is the Cecchin family.
Damien Cecchin is a third-generation vegetable grower and his family has continued its long-standing relationship as customers of RP Motors with the recent purchase of a New Holland T8 PLMi tractor.
"My grandfather Gildo dealt with Roberto Piovesan, and then their sons did business together. Joshua and I went to school together and now we are both following our family's tradition," Mr. Cecchin said.
"Farming is difficult, but it is satisfying to know that we are providing people with a variety of quality vegetables all around the world, and with the excellent service and support of R.P. Motors over the decades we will continue to deliver for our customers."
The Cecchin family receiving their New Holland T8 PLMi from the R.P. Motors team. Pictured are Damien, Robert and Gildo Cecchin with Roberto, Robert and Joshua Piovesan.
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